JP2009134167A - Developer control member, developing device, image forming apparatus, process cartridge and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a developer control member that has low cost and capable of appropriately controlling an amount of developer by suppressing sticking of developer on a controlling end face, caused by the formation of a minute groove in the controlling end face, and to provide a developing device, image forming apparatus, and process cartridge that have the developer control member, and to provide an image forming method. <P>SOLUTION: A developing doctor 12 is the developer control member. The controlling end face 12a of the developer control member is disposed opposite the surface of a developing roller 5 which is a developer carrier incorporating a magnet roller, i.e., a magnetic field generating member, and the surface of which is movable. The controlling member controls an amount of developer passing between the surface of the developing roller 5 and the controlling end face 12a, the developer being composed of toner and magnetic carrier. This developing doctor 12 has a non-magnetic plate 71 that is long in the lengthwise direction of the developing roller 5. At least one of both sides of the non-magnetic plate 71 has a plated layer 72, which is a magnetic layer formed by a plating process. The controlling end face 12a is formed from the end face of the non-magnetic plate 71 and the end face of the plating layer 72. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a developer regulating member that regulates a two-component developer, a developing device using the same, an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and an image forming method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, developing devices that feed a developer into a development area after the developer regulating member regulates the layer thickness of the developer carried by a magnetic force on the surface of a developing roller having a magnetic field generating means therein are known. ing. In recent years, there is a tendency that the amount of the developer fed into the development area is set to be small, and therefore, it is required to regulate the developer layer thickness with a developer regulating member. Therefore, the tolerance of the gap (doctor gap) between the developing roller surface and the end surface (regulating end surface) facing the developing roller surface in the developer regulating member is very strict. Therefore, in order to widen this tolerance, a developing device in which a magnetic member is provided on the developer regulating member has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

The reason why the tolerance of the doctor gap can be widened by providing a magnetic member on the developer regulating member is as follows.
When the magnetic member is provided on the developer regulating member, the developer passing through the doctor gap is in a sparse state compared to the case where the magnetic member is not provided on the developer regulating member. When a magnetic member is provided on the developer regulating member, a strong magnetic field is formed in and around the doctor gap by the magnetic member and the magnetic field generating means inside the developing roller, and the developer rises along the magnetic field lines. Since the developer in the spiked state has a gap between the spikes, the developer regulation member is not provided with a magnetic member so that the developer is not spiked. If the developer is in a sparse state due to such spikes, the rate of change in the amount of developer passing therethrough with respect to the amount of change in the doctor gap is smaller than that in the dense state. Therefore, the tolerance of the doctor gap can be widened.

JP 2006-126664 A

  As a developer regulating member provided with a magnetic member, a magnetic plate is fixed to a non-magnetic plate so that the end surfaces thereof are approximately flush with each other, and the surface is used as a regulating end surface of the developer regulating member. Are known. In such a developer regulating member, a minute groove may be formed at the boundary between the nonmagnetic plate and the magnetic plate on the regulating end surface. If such a groove is on the regulating end surface, a part of the developer conveyed along with the rotation of the developing roller is caught in the groove and enters. Then, toner and other foreign matters in the developer accumulate in the groove, and the magnetic field formed in and around the doctor gap is formed by, for example, growing and sticking in a state of covering the regulating end face. It will weaken. As a result, the developer cannot sufficiently rise when passing through the doctor gap, the density of the developer passing through the doctor gap increases, and the amount of developer passing through the doctor gap increases with time. There is a fear.

  In particular, when a low-melting-point toner having a relatively low melting point or softening point is used, the toner is easily softened by frictional heat or heat propagated from a heat source inside the image forming apparatus when the developer passes through the doctor gap. Therefore, if there is a minute groove on the regulation end face that causes the developer to be caught, the softened toner adheres to the groove, and foreign matter is easily deposited. For this reason, there arises a problem that a stable amount of developer cannot be fed into the development area from the beginning to the lapse of time.

  In order to prevent the above-described problem from occurring, it is conceivable that minute grooves are not formed in the boundary portion when the developer regulating member is manufactured. In general, there are dimensional tolerances of the magnetic plate and the non-magnetic plate, assembly tolerances of the magnetic plate and the non-magnetic plate, etc., and these tolerances are stacked, so that a minute groove is formed at the boundary portion. Therefore, if the magnetic plate and the non-magnetic plate are processed with high accuracy so as to eliminate these tolerances, or if the magnetic plate and the non-magnetic plate are assembled with high accuracy, the manufacturing cost of the developer regulating member becomes high, which has been promoted in recent years. This is disadvantageous for the low cost.

  It is also conceivable that the developer regulating member is constituted only by a magnetic plate. However, if the thickness of the magnetic plate is too thick, the magnetic lines of force generated from the magnetic field generating means inside the developing roller cannot be concentrated, and sparse spikes cannot be formed. Further, if the thickness of the magnetic plate is reduced in order to concentrate the magnetic lines of force, the strength of the magnetic plate is reduced, so that the magnetic plate may be bent over time by being pushed by the developer conveyed by the developing roller. If the magnetic plate is bent as described above, the size of the doctor gap changes, and it becomes impossible to regulate the developer amount to an appropriate amount.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to suppress the fixing of the developer to the regulation end surface which is caused by formation of a minute groove on the regulation end surface at a low cost. It is an object to provide a developer regulating member capable of appropriately regulating the developer amount, a developing device including the developer regulating member, an image forming apparatus, a process cartridge, and an image forming method.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that the surface of the developer carrying member that includes the magnetic field generating member and the surface of the developer carrying member that faces the surface are opposed to each other, the surface of the developer carrying member, and the regulating end surface. A developer regulating member that regulates the amount of developer comprising toner and magnetic carrier that passes between the two, having a nonmagnetic plate that is long in the longitudinal direction of the developer carrier, and both sides of the nonmagnetic plate A magnetic layer by plating is provided on at least one of the surfaces, and the regulating end surface is formed by the end surface of the nonmagnetic plate and the end surface of the magnetic layer.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the developer regulating member of the first aspect, the magnetic layer is provided on only one of both side surfaces of the nonmagnetic plate.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the developer regulating member of the second aspect, the magnetic layer is provided on the side surface of the nonmagnetic member on the downstream side in the developer passage direction.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the developer regulating member according to the first, second, or third aspect, the regulating end face is subjected to a polishing process.
Further, the invention of claim 5 is a developer carrying member that carries a developer on its surface and moves, and a surface of the developer carrying member that faces the surface of the developer carrying member with a regulating end face facing the developer carrying member. A developer regulating member that regulates the amount of developer passing between the end face and a magnetic field generating means that is disposed inside the developer carrying member and has a magnetic field generating member at least at a location facing the developer carrying member. And a developer regulating member that conveys the developer, the amount of which is regulated by the developer regulating member, to the developing region by moving the surface of the developer carrying member. Alternatively, the developer regulating member 4 is used.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a latent image carrier that carries a latent image on the surface and moves on the surface, and a latent image on the latent image carrier is developed in a development region that faces the latent image carrier. An image forming apparatus comprising: a developing unit that supplies an agent to develop a latent image; and the image obtained by the developing unit is finally transferred onto the recording material to form an image on the recording material In the apparatus, the developing device according to claim 5 is used as the developing means.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process cartridge detachably attached to an image forming apparatus main body, wherein the developing device and at least one selected from a latent image carrier, a charging device or a cleaning device are integrally formed. The developing device according to claim 5 is used as the developing device.
Further, the invention according to claim 8 supplies a developer to the latent image on the latent image carrier by a developing means in a developing region facing the latent image carrier that carries the latent image on the surface and moves on the surface. In the image forming method of developing the latent image, and finally transferring the image obtained by developing by the developing means onto the recording material to form an image on the recording material, the developing means is used as the developing means. The developing device is used.

In the present invention, since the magnetic layer is provided by plating the side surface of the nonmagnetic plate, there is no gap between the nonmagnetic plate and the magnetic layer, and at the boundary between the nonmagnetic plate and the magnetic layer on the regulating end surface. Minute grooves are not formed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the developer from adhering to the regulating end face, which has been caused by the formation of minute grooves in the boundary portion. Therefore, it is possible to avoid weakening the magnetic field formed between the surface of the developer carrying member and the regulating end surface or in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the developer can be sufficiently raised by the magnetic force between the surface of the developer carrying member and the regulating end surface, and the amount of developer can be regulated appropriately.
In addition, since the plating process for providing a magnetic layer on a nonmagnetic plate is generally inexpensive, compared to processing a magnetic plate and a nonmagnetic plate with high accuracy or assembling a magnetic plate and a nonmagnetic plate with high accuracy, An increase in the manufacturing cost of the developer regulating member can be suppressed, and the cost can be reduced.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to avoid the sticking of the developer to the regulation end surface caused by forming a minute groove on the regulation end surface at low cost, and to achieve an excellent effect that the developer amount can be appropriately regulated. is there.

  Hereinafter, as an image forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied, an embodiment of a tandem type color laser copying machine (hereinafter simply referred to as “copying machine”) in which a plurality of photoconductors are arranged in parallel will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the copying machine according to the present embodiment. The copier includes a printer unit 100, a paper feeding device 200 on which the printer unit 100 is placed, a scanner 300 fixed on the printer unit 100, and the like. An automatic document feeder 400 fixed on the scanner 300 is also provided.

  The printer unit 100 forms an image including four sets of process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K for forming images of each color of yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). A unit 20 is provided. Y, M, C, and K added after the numbers of the respective symbols indicate yellow, cyan, magenta, and black members (the same applies hereinafter). In addition to the process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K, an optical writing unit 21, an intermediate transfer unit 17, a secondary transfer device 22, a resist roller pair 49, a belt fixing type fixing device 25, and the like are disposed. .

  The optical writing unit 21 includes a light source (not shown), a polygon mirror, an f-θ lens, a reflection mirror, and the like, and irradiates the surface of a photoreceptor to be described later with laser light based on image data.

  The process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K include a drum-shaped photosensitive member 1, a charger, a developing device 4, a drum cleaning device, a static eliminator, and the like.

Hereinafter, the yellow process cartridge 18 will be described.
The surface of the photoreceptor 1Y is uniformly charged by a charger as charging means. The surface of the photoreceptor 1 </ b> Y that has been subjected to charging processing is irradiated with laser light that has been modulated and deflected by the optical writing unit 21. Then, the potential of the irradiation part (exposure part) is attenuated. By this attenuation, an electrostatic latent image for Y is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 1Y. The formed electrostatic latent image for Y is developed by the developing device 4Y as developing means to become a Y toner image.

  The Y toner image formed on the Y photoconductor 1Y is primarily transferred to an intermediate transfer belt 110 described later. The surface of the photoreceptor 1Y after the primary transfer is cleaned of the transfer residual toner by a drum cleaning device.

  In the Y process cartridge 18Y, the photoconductor 1Y cleaned by the drum cleaning device is discharged by the charge eliminator. Then, it is uniformly charged by the charger and returns to the initial state. The series of processes as described above is the same for the other process cartridges 18M, 18C, and 18K.

Next, the intermediate transfer unit will be described. The intermediate transfer unit 17 includes an intermediate transfer belt 110, a belt cleaning device 90, and the like. Further, it also includes a tension roller 14, a driving roller 15, a secondary transfer backup roller 16, four primary transfer bias rollers 62Y, M, C, and K.
The intermediate transfer belt 110 is tensioned by a plurality of rollers including the tension roller 14. Then, it is endlessly moved clockwise in the drawing by the rotation of the driving roller 15 driven by a belt driving motor (not shown).

  The four primary transfer bias rollers 62Y, 62M, 62C, and 62K are disposed so as to be in contact with the inner peripheral surface side of the intermediate transfer belt 110, respectively, and receive primary transfer bias from a power source (not shown). Further, the intermediate transfer belt 110 is pressed toward the photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K from the inner peripheral surface side to form primary transfer nips. In each primary transfer nip, a primary transfer electric field is formed between the photosensitive member and the primary transfer bias roller due to the influence of the primary transfer bias.

  The above-described Y toner image formed on the Y photoconductor 1Y is primarily transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 110 due to the influence of the primary transfer electric field and nip pressure. On the Y toner image, the M, C, K toner images formed on the M, C, K photoconductors 1M, C, K are sequentially superposed and primarily transferred. By this primary transfer of superposition, a four-color superposed toner image (hereinafter referred to as a four-color toner image) that is a multiple toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 110. The four-color toner image superimposed and transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 110 is secondarily transferred onto a transfer sheet (not shown) as a recording sheet at a secondary transfer nip described later. Transfer residual toner remaining on the surface of the intermediate transfer belt 110 after passing through the secondary transfer nip is cleaned by a belt cleaning device 90 that sandwiches the belt with the driving roller 15 on the left side in the drawing.

  Next, the secondary transfer device 22 will be described. Below the intermediate transfer unit 17 in the figure, a secondary transfer device 22 is disposed in which a paper conveying belt 24 is stretched by two stretching rollers 23. The paper transport belt 24 is moved endlessly in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing in accordance with the rotational drive of at least one of the stretching rollers 23. One of the two stretching rollers 23 arranged on the right side in the drawing sandwiches the intermediate transfer belt 110 and the paper transport belt 24 between the secondary transfer backup roller 16 of the intermediate transfer unit 17. It is out. By this sandwiching, a secondary transfer nip is formed in which the intermediate transfer belt 110 of the intermediate transfer unit 17 and the paper transport belt 24 of the secondary transfer device 22 are in contact with each other. A secondary transfer bias having a polarity opposite to that of the toner is applied to the one stretching roller 23 by a power source (not shown). By applying this secondary transfer bias, the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 110 of the intermediate transfer unit 17 is electrostatically moved from the belt side toward the one stretching roller 23 side in the secondary transfer nip. A next transfer electric field is formed. The transfer paper fed into the secondary transfer nip so as to synchronize with the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 110 by a registration roller pair 49 to be described later has four colors affected by the secondary transfer electric field and nip pressure. The toner image is secondarily transferred. Instead of the secondary transfer method in which the secondary transfer bias is applied to one of the stretching rollers 23 as described above, a charger for charging the transfer paper in a non-contact manner may be provided.

  In the paper feeding device 200 provided at the lower part of the copying machine main body, a plurality of paper feeding cassettes 44 in which a plurality of transfer sheets can be stacked and accommodated in a bundle of sheets are arranged so as to overlap in the vertical direction. Has been. Each paper feed cassette 44 presses the paper feed roller 42 against the uppermost transfer paper in the paper bundle. Then, by rotating the paper feed roller 42, the uppermost transfer paper is sent out toward the paper feed path 46.

  The paper feed path 46 that receives the transfer paper fed from the paper feed cassette 44 has a plurality of conveying roller pairs 47 and a registration roller pair 49 provided near the end in the path. Then, the transfer paper is conveyed toward the registration roller pair 49. The transfer sheet conveyed toward the registration roller pair 49 is sandwiched between the rollers of the registration roller pair 49. On the other hand, in the intermediate transfer unit 17, the four-color toner image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 110 enters the secondary transfer nip as the belt moves endlessly. The registration roller pair 49 sends out the transfer paper sandwiched between the rollers at a timing at which the transfer paper can be brought into close contact with the four-color toner image at the secondary transfer nip. Thereby, in the secondary transfer nip, the four-color toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 110 is in close contact with the transfer paper. Then, it is secondarily transferred onto the transfer paper and becomes a full color image on the white transfer paper. The transfer paper on which the full-color image is formed in this manner exits the secondary transfer nip as the paper transport belt 24 moves endlessly, and then is sent from the paper transport belt 24 to the fixing device 25.

  The fixing device 25 includes a belt unit that moves the fixing belt 26 endlessly while being stretched by two rollers, and a pressure roller 27 that is pressed toward one roller of the belt unit. The fixing belt 26 and the pressure roller 27 are in contact with each other to form a fixing nip, and the transfer paper received from the paper transport belt 24 is sandwiched therebetween. Of the two rollers in the belt unit, the roller that is pressed from the pressure roller 27 has a heat source (not shown) inside, and pressurizes the fixing belt 26 by the generated heat. The pressed fixing belt 26 heats the transfer paper sandwiched in the fixing nip. The full color image is fixed on the transfer paper by the influence of the heating and the nip pressure.

  The transfer paper that has been subjected to the fixing process in the fixing device 25 is stacked on a stack portion 57 that protrudes from the left side plate in the drawing of the printer housing or forms a toner image on the other surface. Therefore, it is returned to the secondary transfer nip described above.

  When a document (not shown) is copied, for example, a bundle of sheet documents is set on the document table 30 of the automatic document feeder 400. However, when the original is a single-sided original that is closed in a main form, it is set on the contact glass 32. Prior to this setting, the automatic document feeder 400 is opened with respect to the copying machine main body, and the contact glass 32 of the scanner 300 is exposed. Thereafter, the single-bound original is pressed by the closed automatic document feeder 400.

  When a copy start switch (not shown) is pressed after the document is set in this way, the document reading operation by the scanner 300 starts. However, when a sheet document is set on the automatic document feeder 400, the automatic document feeder 400 automatically moves the sheet document to the contact glass 32 prior to the document reading operation. In the document reading operation, first, the first traveling body 33 and the second traveling body 34 start traveling together, and light is emitted from a light source provided in the first traveling body 33. Then, the reflected light from the document surface is reflected by a mirror provided in the second traveling body 34, passes through the imaging lens 35, and then enters the reading sensor 36. The reading sensor 36 constructs image information based on the incident light.

  In parallel with such a document reading operation, each device in each of the process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, 18K, the intermediate transfer unit 17, the secondary transfer device 22, and the fixing device 25 starts driving. Based on the image information constructed by the reading sensor 36, the optical writing unit 21 is driven and controlled, and Y, M, C, and K toner images are formed on the respective photoreceptors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K. Is done. These toner images become four-color toner images superimposed and transferred on the intermediate transfer belt 110.

  Further, almost simultaneously with the start of the document reading operation, the paper feeding operation is started in the paper feeding device 200. In this paper feeding operation, one of the paper feeding rollers 42 is selectively rotated, and the transfer paper is sent out from one of the paper feeding cassettes 44 accommodated in the paper bank 43 in multiple stages. The fed transfer paper is separated one by one by the separation roller 45 and enters the paper feed path 46, and is then transported toward the secondary transfer nip by the transport roller pair 47. In some cases, paper feeding from the manual feed tray 51 is performed instead of such paper feeding from the paper feeding cassette 44. In this case, after the manual feed roller 50 is selectively rotated to feed the transfer paper on the manual feed tray 51, the separation roller 52 separates the transfer paper one by one and feeds it to the manual feed path 53 of the printer unit 100. Make paper.

  In the case of forming another color image composed of two or more colors of toner, the copying machine stretches the intermediate transfer belt 110 so that the upper stretched surface thereof is substantially horizontal, Photoconductors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K are brought into contact with each other. On the other hand, when forming a monochrome image consisting of only K toner, the intermediate transfer belt 110 is tilted to the lower left in the drawing by a mechanism (not shown) and the upper stretched surface is set to Y, M, C. The photoconductors 1Y, 1M, and 1C are separated. Of the four photoconductors 1Y, 1M, 1C, and 1K, only the K photoconductor 1K is rotated counterclockwise in the drawing to form only the K toner image. At this time, for Y, M, and C, the driving of not only the photoconductor but also the developing device is stopped to prevent unnecessary consumption of the photoconductor and the developer.

  The copying machine includes a control unit (not shown) configured by a CPU or the like that controls the following devices in the copying machine, and an operation display unit (not shown) configured by a liquid crystal display, various key buttons, and the like. The operator sends a command to the control unit by a key input operation on the operation display unit, so that one of the three modes is selected from the three-sided print mode, which is a mode for forming an image only on one side of the transfer paper. You can choose one. The three single-sided printing modes include a direct discharge mode, a reverse discharge mode, and a reverse decal discharge mode.

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged configuration diagram illustrating the developing device 4 and the photoreceptor 1 provided in one of the four process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K. Since the four process cartridges 18Y, 18M, 18C, and 18K have substantially the same configuration except that the colors of the toners to be handled are different, they are referred to as “Y”, “M”, “C”, and “K” in FIG. Subscripts are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the surface of the photosensitive member 1 is charged by a charging device (not shown) while rotating in the direction of arrow G in the drawing. The charged surface of the photoreceptor 1 is supplied with toner from the developing device 4 to a latent image on which an electrostatic latent image is formed by laser light emitted from an exposure device (not shown), thereby forming a toner image.

  The developing device 4 has a developing roller 5 as a developer carrying member for supplying toner to the latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor 1 while moving the surface in the direction of arrow I in the drawing. The developing roller 5 includes a magnet roller having a magnetic pole therein and a sleeve member that is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the magnet roller and is driven to rotate. Further, a supply screw 8 is provided as a developer supply / conveying member that conveys the developer in the depth direction of FIG. 3 while supplying the developer to the developing roller 5. When the magnetic carrier is attracted by the magnetic force of the magnetic pole of the magnet roller, the developer supplied to the developing roller 5 by the supply screw 8 is carried on the surface of the sleeve member.

  A developing doctor 12 as a developer regulating member for regulating the developer supplied to the developing roller 5 to a thickness suitable for development is provided on the downstream side of the surface moving direction from the portion facing the supply screw 8 of the developing roller 5. ing.

  The developed developer that has passed through the developing section is collected downstream from the developing section, which is the facing portion of the developing roller 5 with respect to the photoconductor 1, and the collected developer is collected in the same direction as the supply screw 8. A recovery screw 6 is provided as a developer recovery / conveying member. A supply conveyance path 9, which is a developer supply conveyance path provided with a supply screw 8, is in the lateral direction of the developing roller 5, and a recovery conveyance path 7 as a developer collection conveyance path provided with a collection screw 6 is below the development roller 5. It is installed side by side.

  Between the position where the developing roller 5 faces the collection conveyance path 7 and the position where the development roller 5 faces the supply conveyance path 9, a portion where the magnet roller does not have a magnetic pole is provided. As a result, the developer that has consumed the toner carried by the sleeve member can be separated and separated and collected by the collection conveyance path 7.

  In the developing device 4, the gap between the developing doctor 12 and the surface of the developing roller 5 is a slit-shaped opening between the developing area where the photoreceptor 1 and the developing roller 5 face each other and the supply conveyance path 9. A doctor is formed. By forming the slit-shaped opening, that is, a narrow gap, it is possible to suppress the developer in the developing device 4 from scattering from the upstream side in the surface movement direction of the developing roller 5 with respect to the developing region. Further, in the developing device 4, the gap between the casing forming the recovery conveyance path 7 and the surface of the development roller 5 between the development area where the photoconductor 1 and the development roller 5 face each other and the recovery conveyance path 7 is slit-shaped. A portion for forming an opening is provided. By forming the slit-shaped opening, that is, a narrow gap, it is possible to suppress the developer in the developing device 4 from scattering from the downstream side in the surface movement direction of the developing roller 5 with respect to the developing region.

  The developing device 4 is provided with an agitation conveyance path 10 that is a developer agitation conveyance path in parallel with the recovery conveyance path 7 below the supply conveyance path 9. The agitating and conveying path 10 includes an agitating screw 11 as a developer agitating and conveying member that conveys the developer to the front side in the figure, which is in the opposite direction to the supply screw 8 while agitating the developer.

  The supply conveyance path 9 and the stirring conveyance path 10 are partitioned by a first partition wall 133 as a partition member. In the first partition wall 133, the supply conveyance path 9 and the agitation conveyance path 10 are partitioned at both ends on the front side and the back side in the drawing, and the supply conveyance path 9 and the agitation conveyance path 10 communicate with each other. is doing. The supply conveyance path 9 and the recovery conveyance path 7 are both partitioned by the first partition wall 133, but an opening is provided at a location where the supply conveyance path 9 and the recovery conveyance path 7 of the first partition wall 133 are partitioned. Absent.

  Further, the two conveyance paths of the stirring conveyance path 10 and the collection conveyance path 7 are partitioned by a second partition wall 134 as a partition member. The second partition wall 134 has an opening on the front side in the figure, and the agitation transport path 10 and the collection transport path 7 communicate with each other.

  The supply screw 8, the recovery screw 6 and the stirring screw 11, which are developer conveying members, are made of resin screws, and each screw diameter is φ18 [mm], the screw pitch is 25 [mm], and the rotation speed is about 600 [rpm]. ] Is set.

  The developer thinned by the developing doctor 12 on the developing roller 5 is transported to a developing region which is a portion facing the photosensitive member 1 for development. The surface of the developing roller 5 is V-groove or sandblasted and is made of an Al [aluminum] element tube of φ25 [mm], and the gap with the photoreceptor 1 is about 0.3 [mm]. The developing doctor 12 is set at a distance of about 0.2 to 1.2 [mm] from the surface of the developing roller 5, and a uniform thinned developer is formed on the developing roller 5, so that a photosensitive member is formed. The developer without uniform unevenness is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on No. 1.

  The developer after the development is collected in the collection conveyance path 7 and conveyed to the front side of the cross section in FIG. 3, and to the agitation conveyance path 10 at the opening of the first partition wall 133 provided in the non-image area portion. Developer is transferred. The toner is supplied to the stirring and conveying path 10 from the toner replenishing port provided on the upper side of the stirring and conveying path 10 near the opening of the first partition wall 133 on the upstream side in the developer conveying direction in the stirring and conveying path 10.

  Next, the circulation of the developer in the three developer conveyance paths will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the flow of the developer in the developing device 4, and each arrow in the drawing indicates the moving direction of the developer.

  In the supply conveyance path 9 that has been supplied with the developer from the agitation conveyance path 10, the developer is conveyed downstream in the conveyance direction of the supply screw 8 while supplying the developer to the developing roller 5. Then, the excess developer that is supplied to the developing roller 5 and is not used for development and is transported to the downstream end in the transport direction of the supply transport path 9 is supplied to the stirring transport path 10 from the surplus opening 92 of the first partition wall 133 ( Arrow E) in FIG.

  The collected developer that is sent from the developing roller 5 to the collection conveyance path 7 and conveyed to the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the collection conveyance path 7 by the collection screw 6 is supplied to the stirring conveyance path 10 from the collection opening 93 of the second partition wall 134. (Arrow F in FIG. 4).

  The agitating and conveying path 10 agitates the supplied surplus developer and the recovered developer, conveys the agitating screw 11 to the downstream side in the conveying direction, and conveys it to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the supplying screw 8. It is supplied to the supply conveyance path 9 from the supply opening 91 of 133 (arrow D in FIG. 4).

  In the agitating and conveying path 10, the agitating screw 11 agitates and conveys the collected developer, the surplus developer, and the toner replenished as necessary in the transfer unit in the direction opposite to the developer in the collecting and conveying path 7 and the supply conveying path 9. . Then, the agitated developer is transferred to the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the supply conveyance path 9 communicating with the downstream side in the conveyance direction. A toner concentration sensor (not shown) is provided below the agitation transport path 10, and a toner supply control device (not shown) is operated by the sensor output to supply toner from a toner storage portion (not shown).

  In the developing device 4 shown in FIG. 4, a supply conveyance path 9 and a collection conveyance path 7 are provided, and developer supply and collection are performed in different developer conveyance paths, so that the developed developer is supplied to the supply conveyance path 9. There is no contamination. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the toner density of the developer supplied to the developing roller 5 from decreasing toward the downstream side of the supply conveyance path 9 in the conveyance direction. Further, since the recovery conveyance path 7 and the agitation conveyance path 10 are provided and the developer recovery and agitation are performed in different developer conveyance paths, the developed developer does not fall during the agitation. Therefore, since the sufficiently agitated developer is supplied to the supply conveyance path 9, it is possible to prevent the developer supplied to the supply conveyance path 9 from being insufficiently agitated. In this way, the toner density of the developer in the supply conveyance path 9 can be prevented from decreasing, and the developer in the supply conveyance path 9 can be prevented from being insufficiently stirred. Can be constant.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the developer moves from the lower part to the upper part of the developing device 4 only by the arrow D. The movement of the developer indicated by an arrow D is to push the developer by rotating the stirring screw 11 so that the developer is raised and supplied to the supply conveyance path 9. Such movement of the developer gives stress to the developer and contributes to a decrease in the life of the developer. That is, when the developer is lifted from the bottom to the top, the developer is stressed, and the carrier film in the developer is scraped off and the toner is spent on the spot, and the stability of the image quality cannot be maintained accordingly. End up.

  In the developing device 4 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the supply conveyance path 9 is disposed obliquely above the stirring conveyance path 10. By disposing it obliquely above, it is possible to reduce the developer stress in the movement of the developer indicated by the arrow D, compared to the case where the supply conveyance path 9 is provided vertically above the stirring conveyance path 10 and the developer is lifted. . Further, in the developing device 4, the supply conveyance path 9 and the agitation conveyance path 10 are arranged obliquely so that the upper wall surface of the agitation conveyance path 10 is higher than the lower wall surface of the supply conveyance path 9 as shown in FIG. 3. It arranges so that it may become a position.

  Lifting the supply conveyance path 9 vertically upward with respect to the stirring conveyance path 10 causes the developer to be stressed because the developer is lifted by the pressure of the stirring screw 11 against gravity. On the other hand, the developer present at the highest point of the agitating and conveying path 10 is placed at the bottom of the supplying and conveying path 9 by arranging the upper wall surface of the agitating and conveying path 10 to be higher than the lower wall surface of the supplying and conveying path 9. Since the point can flow without being against gravity, the stress applied to the developer can be reduced.

  Therefore, in the developing device 4 of the present embodiment, the stress of the developer during the movement of the developer indicated by the arrow D can be reduced, and the life of the developer can be extended. By prolonging the life of the developer in this way, it is possible to provide a developing device that can prevent deterioration of the developer and always has stable image quality without image density unevenness.

  Note that a fin member may be provided on the shaft of the stirring screw 11 in a portion where the stirring transport path 10 and the supply transport path 9 communicate with each other on the downstream side of the developer transport path of the stirring transport path 10. This fin member is a plate-like member composed of a side parallel to the axial direction of the stirring screw 11 and a side perpendicular to the axial direction of the stirring screw. By scooping up the developer with this fin member, it is possible to more efficiently deliver the developer from the stirring conveyance path 10 to the supply conveyance path 9.

  Further, in the developing device 4, the distance between the center A between the developing roller 5 and the supply conveyance path 9 is shorter than the distance B between the center between the development roller 5 and the agitation conveyance path 10. A conveyance path 10 is arranged. As a result, the developer can be supplied without difficulty from the supply conveyance path 9 to the developing roller 5, and the apparatus can be downsized.

  Further, the stirring screw 11 rotates in the counterclockwise direction (in the direction of arrow C in the figure) as viewed from the front side in FIG. 3, and the developer is supplied by lifting the developer along the shape of the stirring screw 11. It is transferred to the conveyance path 9. As a result, the developer can be lifted efficiently, and the stress on the developer can be further reduced.

  Next, the developing doctor 12 which is a characteristic part of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the developing doctor 12 of this embodiment has a plating layer 72 of a magnetic member formed on the side surface in the developer conveying direction of the developer conveyed by the rotation of the developing roller 5 of the non-magnetic plate 71. It is. For the nonmagnetic plate 71, for example, a material such as SUS304 or SUS316 can be used. The plated layer 72 of the magnetic member includes nickel plating and nickel-chrome plating, but any magnetic member may be used.

  If the plated layer 72 of the magnetic member is too thick, the magnetic lines generated from the magnet roller inside the developing roller 5 cannot be concentrated, so that sparse spikes cannot be formed and the effect of widening the doctor gap is sufficiently obtained. Therefore, it is necessary to make it 0.5 [mm] or less. Further, in order to maintain the surface in a stable and smooth state, about 1 [μm] to 20 [μm] is preferable.

  Since the developer doctor 12 is required not to bend even if it receives pressure from the developer conveyed by the rotation of the developing roller 5, the thickness is preferably set to 1.0 [mm] or more. Moreover, in order to raise the intensity | strength of the developing doctor 12, you may use what was bent in the L-shape.

  By plating the nonmagnetic plate 71 with a magnetic member, the regulating end surface 12a becomes a flat surface without forming a groove or a step in the regulating end surface 12a of the developing doctor 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, as the developing roller 5 rotates in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, the developer conveyed as shown by the arrow in the drawing is caught by the developing doctor 12 within the doctor gap. Disappear. Thereby, it is possible to suppress toner and other foreign matters in the developer from adhering to the regulating end surface 12a, and it is possible to suppress the amount of developer passing through the doctor gap from changing greatly with time.

  The plated layer 72 of the magnetic member is desirably formed on the side surface of the non-magnetic plate 71 on the downstream side in the developer conveying direction as shown in FIG. When the plated layer 72 is formed on the side surface on the upstream side in the developer conveyance direction of the nonmagnetic plate 71, the developer conveyed by the rotation of the developing roller 5 and the plated layer 72 are rubbed violently and the plated layer 72 is worn. There is a risk of becoming easy. When the plating layer 72 is worn in this manner, the developer pumping amount in the longitudinal direction of the developing doctor 12 varies, resulting in density unevenness. Therefore, the plating layer 72 is formed on the side surface of the non-magnetic plate 71 on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the developing roller, so that the developer conveyed by the rotation of the developing roller 5 and the plating layer 72 are prevented from rubbing violently. It is possible to prevent the plating layer 72 from being worn over time.

[Experiment]
Experiments for verifying changes in the amount of pumped developer were performed using various developing doctors 12 shown in the examples and comparative examples described later. The experimental conditions are as follows. The developing sleeve surface is V-grooved.

1. Photoconductor linear velocity: 352.8 [mm / sec]
2. Photoconductor diameter: 60 [mm]
3. Developing sleeve / photoreceptor linear speed ratio: 1.6
4). Gp (development gap): 0.3 [mm]
5). Gd (developing roller-doctor Gap): 0.42 [mm]
6). Developer pumping amount (initial): 38 [mg / cm ² ]
7). Roller diameter: φ25 [mm]
8). Main pole angle: 6 [°]

  As the electrophotographic toner and carrier used in this embodiment, the following are used. Any conventionally known resin can be used as the binder resin. For example, styrene resin (monopolymer or copolymer containing styrene or a styrene substitution product) such as styrene-acrylonitrile-acrylic acid ester copolymer, polyester resin, epoxy resin, and the like can be given. Moreover, although single use is also possible, you may use 2 or more types together.

  Moreover, the manufacturing method of these resin is not specifically limited, either bulk polymerization, solution polymerization, emulsion polymerization, and suspension polymerization can be used.

  As the external additive, inorganic fine particles can be preferably used. In this embodiment, the external additive of the toner is 1.7% by weight of silica and 0.7% by weight of titanium oxide.

  As oil releasing agent, oxidized rice wax, low molecular weight polypropylene wax, carnauba wax, paraffin wax and the like can be used as a release agent.

  Further, the toner used in this embodiment may contain a charge control agent as necessary. Regarding the particle size and particle size distribution of the toner, the weight average particle size D4 is 5.1 [μm], and D4 / Dn is 1.14.

  In this embodiment, as a carrier, a developer obtained by coating a ferrite particle having a weight average particle diameter of 35 [μm] with a methyl methacrylate resin (MMA) (film thickness: 0.3 [μm]) was obtained. A magnetite coating carrier can also be used as a carrier core.

  Using the above-described electrophotographic toner and carrier, uniform mixing is performed using a type of tumbler mixer in which the container rolls and stirs so that the toner concentration of the prepared developer is 7 wt%. The developer was prepared by charging. The prepared developer was put into a developing device in the copying machine shown in FIG. 2 and used as an initial developer.

Using the copying machine shown in FIG. 2, a continuous 10,000 sheet output test of an image area ratio of 20% chart was performed, and the difference in the amount of lifting before and after output was measured. The amount of pumping was measured by placing a 2 [cm ² ] cylindrical object on the developing sleeve immediately after the developing doctor 12 and taking out the developer contained therein with a magnet and measuring the weight. Further, the developed developing doctor 12 was observed with a microscope to confirm the degree of toner adhesion.

  Note that “slight adhesion of toner”, which will be described later, indicates a state in which toner adhesion of 10 particles or less is observed on the entire end surface of the developing doctor 12 on the developing sleeve side. Further, “toner adhesion was observed” indicates a state in which toner adhesion was observed in an area of ¼ or less of the entire end surface of the developing doctor 12 on the developing sleeve side. Furthermore, “a large amount of toner has adhered” indicates a state in which toner adhesion has been observed over ½ or more of the entire end surface of the developing doctor 12 on the developing sleeve side.

[Example 1]
When the above-described evaluation was performed using the developing doctor 12 in which nickel-chrome plating was applied to the entire surface of a SUS304 steel plate having a thickness of 2 [mm], a small amount (about 10 [%]) of increase in the amount of pumping and toner adhesion were observed. Was observed. This is presumably because the entire surface of the SUS304 steel plate, which is the nonmagnetic plate 71, was plated with nickel-chrome, which is a magnetic member, so that the thickness of the magnetic member became too thick on the regulating end surface 12a. In other words, it is considered that the lines of magnetic force emitted from the magnet roller cannot be concentrated by the plating layer 72 and sparse heads cannot be formed, so that the developer amount cannot be properly regulated.

[Example 2]
When the above-mentioned evaluation was performed using the developing doctor 12 in which nickel-chrome plating was applied only to the downstream side surface of the developing roller on a SUS304 steel plate having a thickness of 2 [mm], no increase in pumping amount was observed and a slight amount of toner was observed. Adhesion was observed.

[Example 3]
The above evaluation was performed using the developing doctor 12 in which the plating surface of the developing doctor 12 of Example 2 and the contact surface with the developer were polished. The polishing of the end face of the developing doctor 12 performed in this example was performed using a precision grinding machine PFG-500DXA (manufactured by Okamoto Machine Tool Co., Ltd.) as a polishing machine and a # 1000 GC grindstone. As a result of the above-described evaluation, neither an increase in pumping amount nor adhesion of toner to the end surface of the developing doctor 12 on the developing sleeve side was observed.

[Comparative Example 1]
The above-described evaluation was carried out using the developing doctor 12 in which a SUS430 steel plate having a thickness of 0.3 [mm] was caulked to a SUS304 steel plate having a thickness of 2 [mm] and integrated as shown in FIG. As a result, an abnormal image was generated when 3000 sheets were passed, and when the evaluation was interrupted and examined, a large amount (about 40 [%]) of the lifted amount increased, and a large amount of toner adhered to the end surface of the developing doctor 12. Was. This is because the SUS304 steel plate, which is the nonmagnetic plate 71, and the SUS430 steel plate, which is the magnetic plate 73, are integrated by caulking, and as shown in FIG. This is thought to be because a minute groove was formed with the steel plate and developer was deposited in the groove over time.

  As can be seen from the results of this experiment, it was found that by using the developing doctor 12 as shown in Example 2 and Example 3, it is possible to suppress the developer pumping amount from increasing with time. Further, it was found that by using the developing doctor 12 as shown in Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, the developer pumping amount increases with time.

  Therefore, in summary, by providing a plating layer 72 of the magnetic member on the side surface in the developer passing direction of the nonmagnetic plate 71 by performing plating treatment, the end surface 71a of the nonmagnetic plate 71 and the plating layer 72 on the regulating end surface 12a It is possible to suppress the toner from adhering to the end surface 72a. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the weakening of the action of the magnetic force by the plated layer 72 of the magnetic member, and the pumping state between the developing roller 5 and the developing doctor 12 does not change, and the pumping amount is stable over time. Can be maintained. Therefore, there is an effect that problems such as toner fixation and scattering do not occur, initial image defects can be prevented, and good image quality can be maintained.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the surface of the developing roller 5 and the regulating end surface are opposed to the surface of the developing roller 5 that is a surface-movable developer carrying member including the magnet roller that is a magnetic field generating member. A developing doctor 12 that is a developer regulating member that regulates the amount of developer composed of toner and magnetic carrier that passes between the developing roller 5 and a nonmagnetic plate 71 that is long in the longitudinal direction of the developing roller 5. A plated layer 72 that is a magnetic layer formed by plating is provided on at least one of both side surfaces of the nonmagnetic plate 71, and the regulation end surface 12 a is formed by the end surface of the nonmagnetic plate 71 and the end surface of the plated layer 72. . Since the plating layer 72 is provided on the side surface of the nonmagnetic plate 71 by performing the plating process, there is no gap between the nonmagnetic plate 71 and the plating layer 72, and the nonmagnetic plate 71 and the plating layer 72 on the regulation end surface 12 a No minute groove is formed at the boundary. As a result, it is possible to prevent the developer from adhering to the regulating end surface 12a, which has occurred due to the formation of minute grooves in the boundary portion. Therefore, it is possible to avoid weakening the magnetic field formed between the surface of the developing roller 5 and the regulating end surface 12a or in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the developer can be sufficiently raised by the magnetic force between the surface of the developing roller 5 and the regulating end surface 12a, and the amount of the developer can be regulated appropriately. In addition, since the plating process for providing the plating layer 72 on the nonmagnetic plate 71 is generally inexpensive, the magnetic plate and the nonmagnetic plate 71 are processed with high accuracy, or the magnetic plate and the nonmagnetic plate 71 are assembled with high accuracy. As compared with the case, it is possible to suppress an increase in the manufacturing cost of the developing doctor 12 and to reduce the cost.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the plating layer 72 is provided on only one of the both side surfaces of the nonmagnetic plate 71. Even if the plating layer 72 is not provided on both side surfaces of the non-magnetic plate 71 in the developer passing direction, the appropriate amount of developer can be regulated only by providing it on one side surface. Since the layer 72 is not provided, the cost of the developing doctor 12 can be reduced.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the plating layer 72 is provided on the side surface of the nonmagnetic member on the downstream side in the developer passage direction, so that the plating layer 72 gradually wears due to the friction between the plating layer 72 and the developer. In addition, there is no possibility of variations in the amount of developer drawn in the longitudinal direction of the developing doctor 12.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the restriction end surface 12a can be smoothened by subjecting the restriction end surface 12a to polishing, and the developer can be further prevented from sticking to the restriction end surface 12a.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the developing roller 5 that is a developer carrying member that carries the developer on the surface and moves on the surface, and the surface of the developing roller 5 with the regulating end surface 12a facing the surface of the developing roller 5 A developing doctor 12 that is a developer regulating member that regulates the amount of developer that passes between the regulating end surface 12 a and a magnetic field generating member that is disposed inside the developing roller 12 and that faces at least the developing doctor 12. And a magnetic field generating means having a magnet roller, and in the developing device 4 that conveys the developer whose amount is regulated by the developer regulating member to the development region by the surface movement of the developing roller 5, as a developer regulating member of the present invention. Since the developer amount can be appropriately regulated by using the developing doctor 12, an appropriate amount of developer can be conveyed to the developing region by the developing roller 5.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the photosensitive member 1 is a latent image carrier that carries a latent image on the surface and moves, and the latent image on the photosensitive member 1 in a development region facing the photosensitive member 1. And a developing means for developing the latent image by supplying a developer, and finally transferring the image obtained by developing by the developing means onto the recording material to form an image on the recording material By using the developing device 4 having the developing doctor 12 of the present invention as the developing means in the copying machine that is an image forming apparatus, it is possible to satisfactorily form an image with an appropriate amount of developer.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the process cartridge 18, which is integrally configured with the developing unit and at least one selected from the photosensitive member 1, the charger, or the drum cleaning device, is detachable from the main body of the image forming apparatus, Since the amount of developer can be appropriately regulated by using the developing device 4 having the developing doctor 12 of the present invention as the developing means, an appropriate amount of developer can be conveyed to the developing region by the developing roller 5. it can.
Further, according to the present embodiment, the developer is applied to the latent image on the photoconductor 1 by the developing means in the developing area facing the photoconductor 1 which is a latent image carrier that carries the latent image on the surface and moves. In the image forming method for forming the image on the recording material by finally transferring the image obtained by developing the latent image by developing the image and finally transferring the image obtained by the developing device on the recording material, By using the developing device 4 having the developing doctor 12 of the invention, it is possible to form an image satisfactorily with an appropriate amount of developer.

The schematic diagram which showed the flow of the developer when the developing doctor which is the characterizing part of this invention was used. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a copier according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a developing device and a photoreceptor. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a developer flow in a developing device. The schematic diagram of the development doctor which provided the plating layer of the magnetic member in the nonmagnetic board. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a developing doctor in which a nonmagnetic plate and a magnetic plate are caulked and integrated. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a developer flow when the developing doctor of Comparative Example 1 is used.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Photoconductor 4 Developing device 5 Developing roller 6 Collection screw 7 Collection conveyance path 8 Supply screw 9 Supply conveyance path 10 Stirring conveyance path 11 Stirring screw 12 Developing doctor 12a Restricting end surface 14 Stretching roller 15 Drive roller 16 Secondary transfer backup roller 17 Intermediate transfer unit 18 Process cartridge 20 Image forming unit 21 Optical writing unit 22 Secondary transfer device 23 Tension roller 24 Paper transport belt 25 Fixing device 26 Fixing belt 27 Pressure roller 30 Document table 32 Contact glass 33 First traveling body 34 Second traveling body 35 Imaging lens 36 Reading sensor 42 Paper feed roller 44 Paper feed cassette 46 Paper feed path 47 Transport roller pair 49 Registration roller pair 57 Stack part 62 Primary transfer bias roller 71 Nonmagnetic plate 71a End face 72 of nonmagnetic plate Plating layer 2a plating layer end surface 90 the belt cleaning device 100 printer 110 intermediate transfer belt 133 first partition wall 134 a second partition wall 200 paper feeder 300 Scanner 400 automatic document feeder of

Claims (8)

Developer comprising toner and magnetic carrier passing between the surface of the developer carrying member and the regulating end surface with the regulating end surface opposed to the surface of the developer carrying member capable of moving the surface containing the magnetic field generating member In the developer regulating member that regulates the amount of
The developer carrying member has a nonmagnetic plate that is long in the longitudinal direction, and a magnetic layer by plating is provided on at least one of both side surfaces of the nonmagnetic plate,
The developer regulating member, wherein the regulating end surface is formed by an end surface of the nonmagnetic plate and an end surface of the magnetic layer. The developer regulating member according to claim 1,
A developer regulating member, wherein the magnetic layer is provided on only one of both side surfaces of the nonmagnetic plate. The developer regulating member according to claim 2,
The developer regulating member, wherein the magnetic layer is provided on a side surface of the nonmagnetic member on the downstream side in the developer passage direction. In the developer regulating member according to claim 1, 2, or 3,
A developer regulating member, wherein the regulating end surface is polished. A developer carrying body carrying the developer on the surface and moving on the surface;
A developer regulating member that regulates the amount of developer passing between the surface of the developer carrying member and the regulating end surface with the regulating end surface opposed to the surface of the developer carrying member;
A magnetic field generating means that is disposed inside the developer carrying member and has a magnetic field generating member at least at a location facing the developer carrying member;
In the developing device for conveying the developer whose amount is regulated by the developer regulating member to the development region by moving the surface of the developer carrying member,
A developing device comprising the developer regulating member according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4 as the developer regulating member. A latent image carrier that carries a latent image on the surface and moves on the surface;
Developing means for supplying a developer to the latent image on the latent image carrier in a development region facing the latent image carrier to develop a latent image.
In an image forming apparatus for finally transferring an image obtained by development by the developing means onto a recording material to form an image on the recording material,
An image forming apparatus using the developing device according to claim 5 as the developing means. In a process cartridge detachably attached to the main body of the image forming apparatus, wherein the developing device and at least one selected from a latent image carrier, a charging device or a cleaning device are integrally formed,
A process cartridge using the developing device according to claim 5 as the developing device. A developer is supplied to the latent image on the latent image carrier by a developing means in a development area facing the latent image carrier that carries the latent image on the surface and moves on the surface, and the latent image is developed. In an image forming method of finally transferring an image obtained by development by a developing means onto a recording material to form an image on the recording material,
An image forming method using the developing device according to claim 5 as the developing means.

Images